Top 50 phrases to get by China: Dining out

💬 The character [单] on its own means 'list', so that's why a [菜单] refers to a list of dishes.

🇨🇳 In Chinese restaurants, menus often have photos. Feel free to point and choose!

💬 Pronounce it like 'shway'. Easy, right?

🇨🇳 Bottled water is common at restaurants, and you might not get tap water unless requested.

💬 Pronounce it as 'pee-jo'. Remember the tone on the first character [啤].

🇨🇳 Local beers like Tsingtao are often cheaper than imported ones.

💬 It's simply pronounced 'cha'. Imagine saying 'chow' without the 'w'.

🇨🇳 Tea is more than a drink—it's a cultural ritual. Try some green tea for a true local experience.

💬 [要] (yow) is a versatile verb meaning 'to want'.

🇨🇳 Pointing at the menu or dishes is perfectly fine to communicate your choice.

💬 [好吃] (how chi) combines [好] (good) and [吃] (to eat). Simply saying 'good eat'.

🇨🇳 Expressing 'delicious' in Chinese to the chef or staff is always appreciated!

💬 [辣] (la) is the spicy element, saying [不要] (boo-yow) helps you skip the heat.

🇨🇳 China has diverse regional cuisines. Some can be quite spicy, like Sichuan dishes.

💬 Directly means 'buy list', and it's pronounced 'my dan'.

🇨🇳 Don't call the waiter over with a shout—raise your hand instead, it's polite.

💬 [素] (soo) means 'plain' or 'vegetarian', paired with [食] for food.

🇨🇳 In China, vegetarian meals might still be cooked with meat broth, so specify 'no meat' if needed.